Kamen Rider Gamer
by Kayne Argand
Summary: Set in Chicago, follow Aden and Chris as they team up to fight the Employers! With the power of Consoles and Cartridges, Aden transforms into Kamen Rider Gamer! "Press Start" on a whole new adventure! Please Read and Review! Be as critical as you want, I can take it!
1. Level 1: Work and Play

_Where did he go?_ Chris wondered to himself, turning his head back to where his friend used to be, the bright flash of light shining there just moments ago disappearing into thin air. No, it wasn't thin air. It was fading into something, no… Someone. As his eyes finally adjusted back to normal, he saw something he thought only existed in the shows he obsessed over. They were called Tokusatsu. He thought it was fiction.

He was wrong.

"Sorry, Employer," the warrior who stood before Chris raised a hand at the monster who threw him, wheelchair and all, into a wall. "But it's time to play my game."

"Why you-!" The monster… Employer barely got those two words in before the warrior ran forward, striking a palm into the beast's chest. The Employer was thrust back a few feet, but quickly retaliated with a few punches and kicks. The warrior blocked a few hits, but one of the kicks sent him reeling back.

Composing himself, the warrior hit a button on his chest ( _His Driver, I guess?_ Chris wondered to himself). "Eject!" a voice coming shouted at no one. The warrior caught the flying… cartridge… and placed it in a case on his belt. He then chose another one, raised it to the air and slid it into the intricate mechanism on his chest. "Hack! And! Slash! SET!" same voice shouted again. "Press Start!"

The warrior slammed his fist into his chest. Another bright light, and the warrior looked different. His suit had once been white with black accents and silver gauntlets. Now the black accents were red and the gauntlets were gone, revealing a colorful and intricate design on the left arm- it almost looked like a tattoo, but a part of the suit. Chris pulled himself back into his wheelchair and looked back at the warrior, now sporting a rather interesting sword in his hand. It was a silver broadsword with a controller attached to the crossguard. It looked like it was from the Z-Prism, but he wasn't sure. The warrior and the Employer ran at each other and came to blows once again.

The warrior continued to block and slash at the Employer, who seemed unfazed by the attacks. _This isn't like those shows at all,_ Chris decided. _This guy is weak._

 **If you think I'm so weak, then show me how it should be done.**

The voice rang in his head. It sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite place it. "What do you mean? Who are you?"

 **I'll explain everything later. For now, catch.**

"What?-" Chris stammered, confused as the warrior seamlessly detached the controller from the sword, threw it in Chris's hands and continued fighting.

 **Throw the cable at my head.**

The controller felt natural in Chris's hands. He had spent hours playing game after game while all the other students were out playing sports and socializing. It was strange, though. He had never seen a Z-Prism controller with a cable. He reached for the end and threw it at the warrior's head. The adapter on the end flew in the air and finally clicked at the back of his helmet.

"COOOOOOOOOOOODE SABER!" That same voice yelled. _Is that gonna happen every time?_ Chris thought to himself.

 **You get used to it. Now, have you played Angel's Fury?**

"Yep."

 **Same controls. Let's take this guy down together!**

Chris sat, mouth agape for a moment. He was going to fight with a Rider? This was one of the best moments of his life. Now wait, Angel's Fury…. It came out a few years ago. It was about an angel sent down from Heaven to slay demons taking over the world with his holy sword. The controls to that were fairly easy. Just keep mashing buttons and things keep dying.

Chris gripped the controller with both hands and began to play. He thought the cable would drag him about as the warrior fought, but it magically kept extending and retracting to fit the situation.

"Lock on," Chris muttered to himself. "Jump, slash, slash, slash." His inputs were translated perfectly by the warrior. The monster staggered for a moment and began to spit something towards the warrior. "Dodge, dodge." _Wait, didn't Angel have a gun?_ He pressed the projectile button and.

"COOOOOOOOOOOODE GUNNER!" The warrior hit a switch on the sword, and the blade split in half and folded, revealing a gun barrel. The crossguard rotated and moved at an angle revealing a trigger. The warrior pulled the trigger and a flurry of bullets hit the monster, staggering back again.

 **Hit the center button.** Chris did so, and that annoying voice yelled "HACK! AND! SLASH! INPUT FINISH!" **Show me the ultimate combo.**

"You got it!" Chris grinned as he hit the Angel Limit button and began hitting the attack buttons, alternating between slashes and shooting. Once he had input the Ascend slash command, he had the warrior jump and continue to attack the Employer in midair. Finally, he held down the slash button and the warrior slammed his sword into the monster and sent the beast careening down to the ground, where it finally erupted in a glorious display of fire and blood.

The warrior landed not long after that, resting the Code Saber on his back. "Game Over," he muttered to no one, looking over his shoulder at the heap of dead Employer behind him. As he walked and approached the awe-struck Chris, the latter shook his head and looked up at his hero.

"Who are you?" Chris said as the warrior before him kneeled to his eye level. He had a strange helmet, nothing like he'd ever seen in his shows from Japan. The top half was a monitor, though nothing was visible through it at the moment. The crest on his forehead was the well-known I/O symbol. His earpieces each looked like half of a controller, though he couldn't tell what kind. His bodysut also had patterns that reminded him of half a controller. Again, which kind eluded him. It was the left side, a control stick on the left shoulder and a D-Pad design on his chest.

 **I am the one who will fight the Employers,** the warrior said, continuing to speak through Chris's thoughts. "But who are the Employers?"

 **The Employers seek to use their evil energy, Work, to enslave humanity to do their bidding.** "Okay…. You seem a little crazy right now. But you never answered my question. Who are you?"

"I am…" The warrior stood, placed a hand on his chest, rotated it and pulled the Driver (or at least part of it) off. Another bright light as the warrior's suit faded away, revealing….

 **Kamen Rider Gamer**

"Have you ever heard the phrase 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy?'" The boy sitting on the teacher's desk finally spoke. He and Chris were the only ones in the room. He wore boot-cut jeans, holes torn at the knees, a pair of worn sneakers, a green t-shirt portraying a silhouette of some video game character, and a zipped up black hoodie.

"Yeah, I have," Chris responded, rolling back and forth in his wheelchair. "What about it, Aden?" Chris had known Aden for a few years now. He moved to New York with his family about 5 years ago, but he came back to live with his uncle last week. "Besides, you never told me what you were doing back here in Chicago."

"Well," Aden said, ignoring the extra inquiry. "Work and Play are actually kind of the new Yin and Yang. Work represents Yin, adulthood and responsibility. It means putting on a suit and tie and paying your dues to society.

"Play represents Yang, childhood and creativity," Aden continued. "It means being true to who you are and what you want out of life, no matter what that is."

"I don't think that's not how Yinyang works," Chris interjected. "I'm sure someone somewhere's offended."

"You're probably right," Aden conceded. "It's a simple explanation, but it gets the job done. Anyway, Work and Play are in balance, much like Yin and Yang. One cannot exist without the other. Basically, if everyone decided to quit their jobs and do nothing but play all day, we'd go into chaos.

"Conversely, if everyone gave up on their hobbies and started working all the time," Aden turned his head to the warmth of the setting sun. "We'd all die without living."

"Okay," Chris nodded. "But you said Work was an evil force, right? If there needs to be a balance, why did you describe Work so negatively?"

"Because of the Employers." Aden stated. "The Employers _drain_ the Play out of you. They replace it with Work. And you become this soulless thing, this…. monster." Aden pounded his fist on the desk, tears slowly dripping from his face. "They want every Human to succumb to Work and serve them for all eternity."

"That's awful!" Chris snapped. "Where did they come from? Who are they?"

"We… I don't know." Aden sniffled, rubbing the tears out of his eyes. "I haven't been able to figure it out yet. All I know is that the Employers are evil and they must be stopped."

"You never did answer my question," Chris said. "Why are you back in Chicago?"

"Because of the one thing I do know," Aden rose and cracked his back. "The Employers plan to take Chicago and spread their influence across the nation. They must be stopped."

"Well, then, where's your family?"

"Gone. They took 'em."

"I'm… I'm sorry." Chris sighed, relaxing into his chair. "By the way, how are you fighting the way you do? Aren't you-"

"Blind?" Aden looked up. For the first time in the week he's been home, Chris finally got to see his friend without sunglasses on. His eyes were pure white. There was no retina, no iris. Just plain white eyeballs. The area around his eyes were scarred, like he was wearing a domino mask made entirely of pain. "Yeah. I can't see like you can, but I can see. You remember Daredevil?" Chris nodded. "It's like that, but I can only see Employers."

"Who… Did this to you?"

"This," Aden sighed. "This is what happens when the Employers suck the Play out of you. The only reason why I didn't become one of them…"

He removed his hoodie and took off his shirt, revealing more scarred tissue and a piece of technology embedded into his chest. At the center was a glowing crystal ball with a triangle floating inside of it. "Is the Core of Gamer," he finally finished. "It keeps my Play levels from dropping too low."

Chris looked at the Core carefully. It was floating inside the mechanism, which extended in an X pattern over his shoulders and met in another X in the back. "This is what turns you into a Kamen Rider?"

"What's a Kamen Rider?" Aden asked. "What are you talking about?"

"They're heroes," Chris said. "They transform and save the world from villains every week."

"Oh, another one of those shows from Japan you keep watching?" Aden teased. "It's been 5 years, I figured you would have started up on something else."

"Whatever, man." It felt good to laugh with Aden like this. It felt like it was before the accident. "Well, from now on, you're Kamen Rider Gamer."

"You can't just decide that on your own."

"And I'm gonna be your partner."

"You can't just decide _that_ on your own, either!"

"Sorry, but… What was it again? 'It's time to play my game?!' That's totally a Kamen Rider catchphrase!"

"No, it isn't!"

The boys laughed some more and got caught up as the sun finally set.


	2. Level 2: Taking Control

A few days had passed since Chris was first attacked by an Employer. Aden continued to explain more about Employers and their slaves - Employees, he called them.

"Employees can never become Employers," Aden said between bites of his pizza. "Employers just kind of show up, twisted caricatures of all the negativity associated with Work." He stopped to savor his meal. "Man, it's been ages since I've had one of these! Deep dish really is the best!"

Chris chuckled. His friend hadn't changed one bit. "So what kind of Employer did you fight the other day? I'm curious to know."

"That," Aden wiped his mouth before continuing. "Was the Professor Employer. It's the embodiment of Study Work. He had been taking the fun out of learning and forcing students to work on something, I don't know what."

Chris recalled what it looked like. The Professor had a mortarboard on his head, a ruler and a book in either hand, and it spit out sticks of chalk. Its face was incredibly deformed, looking like something out of a horror movie. Its hands, if you could call them that, were large and inhuman.

"Learning can be fun?" Chris tilted his head in amazement at his friend's remark. Aden used to hate studying, only getting good enough marks to pass. "I can't believe that. Coming from you, of all people."

"No, it's true." Aden felt around the table for a bit before Chris handed him the spatula.. "Thanks. Play can be found in everything, even Work.

"Some people really do enjoy learning. Researching new things, experimenting. People wouldn't actually become scientists and engineers if they didn't think at least something about those fields would be fun, right?" Chris nodded.

"People also need to work at their hobbies. You used to enter tournaments, right, Chris?" Chris nodded again. "Don't you remember what it was like picking up Courtyard Combat for the first time? You sucked at it. But you took the time to practice, put the _work_ in, and you started to place in those tournaments. No one's a master of anything fun at first. But because it's fun, and there are no repercussions for doing poorly, you can learn and master it at your own pace. And that's where the balance lies.

"Okay, that's enough of that for today," Aden wolfed down the rest of the pizza rather quickly after that talk. "I want to show you something." He placed $40 on the table and reached for his cane. "Let's go back to my place." Chris rolled back from the table and followed his friend out of the restaurant.

 **Chapter 2: Taking Control**

It was a fairly short walk from the restaurant to Aden's place. It was an apartment building in the North Side which, thankfully, had an elevator. "I'm up on the fourth floor," Aden said. Once the two got up to the floor, Chris was amazed.

The elevator opened directly into Aden's loft. It was entirely single-story, save for an overhang that used to be their clubhouse, now reduced to storage. The place was pretty minimalistic, though that made sense, considering Aden's situation. There were a few pieces of art on the walls, but they were few and far between. Most were pictures of Aden's family; His parents and younger sister. Most of the others were of the Chicago and New York skylines, as well as a few paintings Aden had done when he was younger. An older man walked out from the kitchen, shirtless and holding a steaming mug. "Took ya long enough to get home!" the man bellowed with a hearty laugh. "What'd ya, get lost on the subway again?!"

"Hey, Uncle Jacob," Aden sighed, resting his cane on its hook. "I brought Chris over."

"Chris Reynolds?" Uncle Jacob walked up to the two. "I heard about the accident, kid. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Chris said with a weak smile. "I got right back up… Figuratively speaking."

"That building just collapsed though! Didn't your folks-"

"Uncle Jacob," Aden interrupted. " _He knows._ "

"Is that so?" Jacob sat down and guided the two boys to the living room table. "Well, I'd say 'Welcome to the cause,' but I'm sure Aden here already gave you the warmest welcome he could. Innat right, Ade?"

"My name is two syllables," Aden snapped, annoyed. "Stop shortening it."

"Well anyway," Chris said. "Aden said he had something to show me. What was it?" Aden had already gotten up and went to his room.

"He'll be back in a minute," Jacob leaned back into the sofa. "So what has he told you so far?"

Chris summarized what Aden had explained over the past few days about the Employers, Work and Play, and explained that Aden had shown him the Core. "So he's shown you the Core. Has he shown you the Consoles?" Chris shook his head. "The Consoles and Cartridges are what power the whole Gamer System. It's what gives Adey the power to fight the Employers."

"Well, why didn't you use it?" Chris said. "Aden's blind! How do you expect him to fight like that?"

"It wasn't the plan initially, no." Jacob sighed, shaking his head. "Jason, his father, was supposed to use it, but he wasn't compatible. Aden only barely managed to synchronize with the Core when those damned Employers left him for dead. It saved his life. Of course, the process left him scarred and blinded, but he insisted on fighting in his father's place."

"You and Jason were game developers, weren't you?" Chris asked. "Did you also create the Core?"

"It was all Jason," the older man looked pale, talking about his brother. "We were twins, but he was always the smartest between us. He found out about the Employers on a whim and immediately started learning about them and working on a way to fight against them." Jacob leaned forward, bowing his head. "It was five years ago, when he and his family moved to New York.

"When he finally called me six months ago, he said he figured them out and that he was on his way back to Chicago because he needed my help. Four months later, the whole family ends up missing. Aden showed up at my door a couple weeks ago, dirty and disheveled. He had the Core embedded in his chest and a briefcase full of schematics and notes from his father. I got the basic system figured out and helped him make the Consoles. So far, we've only gotten Retro to work." Jason stood up and walked over to the kitchen, Chris following him.

"The problem is," Jacob poured himself another cup of coffee. "That Gamer is a two-part system. The console needs a player. Aden is at his weakest when he fights alone. He needs someone to help him reach his full potential. He needs _you._ "

"Wait, what?" Chris leaned back in his chair, surprised. "He needs me? What can I do? I'm just a teenager in a wheelchair."

"A teenager in a wheelchair who happens to be a master of every video game in existence," Jacob laughed. "The Cartridges are all based on video games. All you need to do is take the controller in your hands and guide him. He gets into a rage when Employers are involved, he's careless. You be his eyes, control him, he'll be your avatar."

"What'cha guys talking about?" Aden said suddenly, scaring Chris. "Come on, let's go to my room." Chris followed Aden through the threshold.

"So what is it you wanted to show me?" Chris looked around at the room. It wasn't as clean as the rest of the house. It was big enough to wheel himself around in, but just barely. The workdesk in particular looked incredibly messy. "It's a wonder you can even find anything in this mess."

"Come here," Aden waved Chris towards the desk and showed him a black Cartridge. It was large, reminiscent of the old 16-bit era cartridges. The image on the label portrayed two warriors coming to blows. "This is the Fighting Cartridge. I just finished it yesterday."

"Wow," Chris had a confused look on his face as he reached for the cartridge. It was heavier than the old IDeA cartridges. It also felt kind of warm. "Nice tech. You know, you're about 20 years late, right?"

"Shut up, this is a technological marvel," Aden yanked the Cartridge out of his friend's hands and put it away. "I tried testing it with the Gamer System-"

"The Gamer Driver," Chris interjected, very matter-of-factly.

"Not calling it that~" Aden replied. "Anyway, I can't seem to use it properly. My body keeps rejecting it after a few seconds."

"Maybe you're just not doing it right," Chris said jokingly. "Maybe you need to add flair to it, like Kamen Riders do."

Chris splayed his arms out dramatically, making intricate motions in the air. "Henshin!" He tapped his chest the same way Aden did before. "Now, it's time to play my game. Kamen Rider! Gamer!"

"Now you just look dumb," Aden said with a smile. "There's no way that's the pro-"

"Aden!" Jacob burst into the room. "Get out here, quick!"

 _There have been multiple fights breaking out in the vicinity of Access Boxing Club,_ The boys immediately heard the news report as they scrambled out of the bedroom. _Men and women alike are raising their fists upon one another, heavily injuring each other for what seems to be no reason at all. We'll up-_

"We need to go now!" Aden said angrily. "This is an Employer, I know it!"

"Just be careful, Ade," Jacob said. "Don't overexert yourself."

"I'm coming, too," Chris said. "Let's stop him together."

"It's too dangerous, Chris!" Aden argued. "I won't put you in danger."

"We can argue here and let innocent people get hurt," Chris said angrily. "Or we can get a move on and hopefully beat this thing before anyone else does." Aden sighed in exasperation as Chris rolled into the elevator. "Are you coming, or what?!"

The boys made way to the boxing club with haste. They ran into some civilians trying to pick fights, but they were more focused on fighting each other than two children.

"Any idea what kind of Employer could do this?" Chris asked? "Turn right here."

"I have an idea," Aden said between breaths. "I think it's the Trainer, a Sports-Work Employer. It's a boxing club, so it makes the most sense."

"Okay, how do you take the fun out of sports?" Chris wondered. "Aren't they fun by definition?"

"Not after you make it your job," Aden said. "Once you make something about money, it becomes work. And with the public eye on you, you're in under more pressure to perform well, or else you get benched or forced to retire. You put your body through hell just so you can take more punches, hit more home runs, kick more goals. It isn't fun when you have so much at stake.

"We're here." Aden stopped moving. The area around the boxing club was riddled with people fighting for no good reason. Shedding blood and breaking bones without any idea why. "Let's go inside."

As they made their way through the jungle of combatants, the boys noticed that the people around them seemed to become more and more sluggish as they neared the boxing club. "They're becoming Employees," Aden scowled. "It won't be pretty once they're fully turned."

"What happens?" Chris asked, trying to keep up with his friend.

"They lose distinctions. They all become the same.," Aden said. "Not men, not women. Not black, white, Asian, Hispanic, whatever. They all become pale, featureless husks without souls. Easily controllable by the nearest Employer. Speaking of."

This Employer looked nothing like the Professor. Whereas the Professor was equipped with rulers and chalk bullets, this one was more streamlined. Its face was an eye and just that. It was wearing boxing shorts and gloves, and had a stopwatch hanging from its neck. It was thinner than the Professor, too.

"Well, well, well," a grotesque voice coming from nowhere said. "If it isn't a cripple and a bat! Sorry, boys, but the club's only for people who can… you know? Fight! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"These people aren't fighters, Employer!" Aden barked. "These are civilians! Stop turning them into Employees!"

"And what if I don't want to?!" The cyclops pointed a gloved fist at the boy standing before him. "Who's gonna stop me?"

"Who else?" Aden raised a Console in one hand and a Cartridge in another, crossing his arms in front of him. "Why don't we play _my_ game, Employer?" Aden placed the Console over the Core of Gamer and clicked it in place.

 **Retro, SET!**

He then slammed the cartridge into its slot.

 **Gamer, SET! Press Start!**

An aura emanated around Aden's body, blinding Chris. Aden slammed a fist into the Core and the aura was pulled into the Core for just a moment.

 **Retro! Gamer!** The annoying voice of the Core shouted. As Aden was enveloped in a bright white light, Chris looked away once again. When the lights faded, his friend had been transformed into the warrior from before. Gamer.

"Fight me, Employer!" Gamer charged at the Employer, fists at the ready. The Employer simply jumped out of the way and into a boxing ring.

"Ah, ah, ah!" The Employer waved his gloved hand back and forth tauntingly. "I only fight in the ring!"

"Fine by me!" Gamer jumped into the boxing ring and stood in the corner. "Let's do this!"

Chris, however, had a bad feeling about the situation. "Aden, don't rush into it!" he shouted.

"I know what I'm doing, Chris!" The bell rang and the two fighters went at it. Gamer started off incredibly strong, blocking and making hits easily. But then...

 _ **He gets into a rage when Employers are involved, he's careless.**_ Chris remembered Jacob's words as Gamer's guard was broken by the Trainer. Its eye grinned and the creature began pounding on the defenseless hero.

"Aden, no!" Chris yelled. _He can see the Employer, but that doesn't mean he's fast enough to dodge those attacks. There's nothing I can do in this situation. Nothing!_

 _ **It's a two-part system. Be his eyes. Control him. He'll be your Avatar.**_

The Code Controller. If Chris could get his hands on it, he could take control and turn this around. "Aden! Give me the Controller!"

Gamer kicked the beast away and summoned the Sword. He threw the controller at his friend and focused again on the monster in the ring. Just as he went in for a slash, the sword flew from his hands.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Trainer shook his hand again. "No weapons in the boxing ring!" Gamer sighed and went back in with his fists.

Chris caught the Code Controller, found the Adapter and threw it. "Yes!" he exclaimed once the controller was connected. "Alright, let's beat this guy!" He began inputting commands but…

Nothing! None of the buttons were doing anything! "Aden, the Controller won't work!"

 **I should probably mention. The Code Controller doesn't work with the Gamer Cartridge.**

"This is a hell of a time to tell me!" Chris sighed. "Then change Cartridges!"

 **Hack and Slash is out. Trainer can force the Code Saber out of my hand.**

"Then use Fighting!"

 **It doesn't work yet, remember?**

"We're out of options, Aden!" Chris pleaded. "It'll work, I know it!"

 **Fine.** Gamer ejected his cartridge from the Driver. He raised the Fighting Cartridge and slammed it into the slot.

 **FIGHTING, SET! PRESS START!** Gamer pressed the button and a bright light enveloped him. When it faded, Gamer was….

The same?

 **ERROR!**

"What just happened?" Chris said.

"I don't know!" Aden's voice came from within the warrior, hitting the button repeatedly. "It just keeps screaming **ERROR** at me!"

"I got you!" The Trainer saw an opportunity and hit Gamer square in the face, sending him flying into the ropes. It stuck its arm out as Gamer ricocheted back towards him and clotheslined the stunned warrior. "Guess you can't stay in the ring with me for very long! Better luck next time, kiddies! AHAHAHAH!"

The monster ran away and left Chris in awe and Aden on the floor, forced out of his armor by the damage.

"Well… What do we do now?" Chris moved to the ring, by his defeated friend's side. "He wiped the floor with us."

"With _me._ " Aden corrected. "He wiped the floor with _me._ I couldn't do anything about it."

"We'll figure this out together, Aden. You know we will."

The boy in the wheelchair said nothing more as his friend lay on the mat, screaming in anger.


End file.
